Prospero Fest, the event promoted by the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Monopoli, to be held from 16 to 21 June 2024 at the old port of Monopoli (free admission), celebrates its 6th edition with 11 meetings with authors and a programme full of guests.
On Sunday 16 June at 7pm, Francesco Giorgino, Director of the Rai Studies Office will open the festival with a conversation titled “Information in the Digital Era: How Communication is Changing,” dedicated to the present and future of the media world, the risks associated with fake news, and the new face of communication, which are increasingly remote and increasingly silent. Mario Valentino will engage in dialogue with the author. Following this at 9pm will be the presentation of the book “Israel and the Palestinians in a Few Words” with journalist and writer Marco Travaglio: a clear and neutral reconstruction of the history of the conflict that has disrupted the populations of the Middle East for centuries and has become strikingly relevant again in recent months. The discussion will be moderated by Sergio Rizzo.
Writer Luca Bianchini will open the events of Monday 17 June at 7pm with the presentation of his book ‘Il cuore è uno zingaro’ (The heart is a gypsy), a compelling novel set between Polignano and Alto Adige that narrates the misadventures of Marshal Gino Clemente, who transferred from his beloved Puglia to Bressanone. Bianchini will dialogue with author Manuela Lenoci. At 9pm there will be the presentation of journalist Lino Patruno‘s book ‘Learn from the South. A development lesson to Italy’, an analysis of the South’s ability to do more with less, proving to be a solution and not a problem. Moderator: Viviana Tanzariello.
On Tuesday 18 June at 7pm there will be the presentation of the book “I’m still waiting for someone to apologize to me” by philosopher and writer Michela Marzano, who will discuss the effects of the #metoo movement and the courage of women to report the violence they have suffered. Dialogue with the author Loredana Ratti. At 9pm former magistrate Gherardo Colombo presents “Anti-Constitution. How we have rewritten (for the worse) the principles of our society”, with which the author provocatively reinterprets some of the main articles of our constitutional charter. Moderated by Giancarlo Fiume.
On Wednesday 19 June at 7pm there will be the presentation of the book “Inside the palace. What really happens in the halls of power” with the Italian economist and politician Carlo Cottarelli who gives a snapshot of our institutions and tells, with irony and anecdotes, what really happens in the palaces of power. Dialogue with the author Stefania Allegretti. Afterwards, at 9pm, the philosopher Umberto Galimberti will entertain the Prospero Fest audience with a lectio magistralis entitled “In dialogue with Plato on the things of love”. Introduced by Alessandra Dalena.
On Thursday 20 June at 7pm, the Chief Prosecutor of the Palermo Prosecutor’s Office, Maurizio De Lucia will be at the Prospero Fest to present the book “The Capture. The Mysteries of Matteo Messina Denaro and the Changing Mafia,” a firsthand account of the arrest of the mafia boss and an investigation into the secrets of the mafia, both past and present. The author will be in conversation with Mario Valentino.
On Friday 21 June at 7pm, doctor and writer Andrea Vitali will present the book “His Excellency Loses a Piece. The Cases of Marshal Ernesto Maccadò,” a new story in the literary series dedicated to the adventures of the now well-known Marshal Maccadò. The author will be in conversation with Maria Grazia Palazzo. The conference will conclude at 9pm with the presentation of the book by writer and professor Stefano Zecchi titled “In the Name of Love. The Many Forms of an Ancient and Mysterious Feeling,” reflecting on the nature of the most fascinating and contradictory sentiment. The discussion will be moderated by Giacomo Fronzi.